Adapting to change through the ages...

I thought I would start with this quote by Gaius Petronius Arbiter.

"We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization."

Arbiter was a courtier in the court of the Roman Emperor Nero and died in 66 A.D. by his own hand. It turns out that there is no actual proof he actually uttered these words but it is such a great quote we will just take the Internet at face value. 

I suspect anyone who has ever been on a team or in an organization will love this quote, no matter who said it. 

We have all been in this very situation where change   is going on for the sake of change and leaving us no further ahead (other than exhausted)... that new leader who has come into an organization and has driven change to make his mark or that leader who cannot endure the pressure waiting for a plan to get some traction are classic examples.

What Petronius says does happen for sure but I do think we should also appreciate that the universe is always changing and a vast majority of the so called "re-organizing" is the result of trying to adapt to this ongoing change, and not so much the result of a personal agenda. Change for change's sake goes on for sure but there is also the normal flow of change because of the ongoing progress of things like technological change, cultural change, social change, et cetera, as well as dramatic change like an economic depression, a merger or an asteroid. 

Change is simply part of the universal experience.

No matter what the reason for any change or whether you look at the word change as a noun or a verb, at the core it's about something becoming different, and as you know, if you want to drive creative solutions you need to look at situations and problems differently. Change is at the heart of everything it seems and anyone believing that there is such a thing as permanent status quo is misaligned with the way our universe actually works. 

I'm going to loosely throw out the word "Adapting" as our method for adjusting and managing change and how we can ultimately deal with the "confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization" that Petronius mentions. We all have different capacities and tolerances when it comes to Adapting to Change, and I wanted to draw on some of the characteristics of people who are very adept at it. So what does strong Adapting to Change look like in a person?

• They have an innate understanding that change is an ongoing event, and offers growth and opportunity (if only through dealing with adversity). This may be as simple as being an optimist versus a pessimist.

• They do not believe in the concept of perfection and understand that their way is not the only way. You know those people who just absolutely need to have it their way? My experience is they tend not to be very good with managing change. Control as they say, "Is an illusion".

• They operate from core convictions such as integrity and morality that define what they will (and will not) do. This creates a compass as to how to move through change and reduces the chances of getting "lost". It also makes sleeping at night easier. 

• They have a core belief in their abilities and that their skills will allow them to work through any situation. It is a simple belief in ones abilities.

• They take personal ownership of the situation and spend little time on placing blame on the phantom that is at fault for the change. It is important to understand why the change occurred but not dwell on it.

I would never suggest that there isn't change that pushes us back, knocks us down or gives us a bloody lip, but as they say, "The sun comes up the next day"* and one way or another you have to deal with it.

I still very much like the quote from Petronius.

iamgpe

www.gpestratagem.com 

* If the sun doesn't come up we have a problem of cosmic proportion and this is all a moot point.